KANSAS CITY, Mo. (670 The Score) -- Filled with anticipation for a new season, general manager Rick Hahn joined several White Sox players on the team's early bus to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday morning.
There, he looked over and could sense something in 26-year-old left-hander Carlos Rodon, slated to make his first career Opening Day start.
"You could see that excitement about getting the ball on Opening Day and his appreciation of that but his desire to show the world what he's fully capable of doing too," Hahn said of Rodon.
Rodon wasn't the only White Sox player feeling the promise of what could be coming in 2019. Right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, "eager and hungrier to do more," was looking ahead to his goal of 200 quality innings this season as the team's No. 2 starter, while prized prospect Eloy Jimenez was playing out his first big league at-bat in his mind.
"I've dreamed about this day a million times," Jimenez said ahead of his MLB debut. "I think it's going to be special."
The White Sox lost their opener to the Royals, 5-3, with Rodon allowing three runs (two earned) over 5 1/3 innings. Jimenez was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts -- logging his first RBI on a hit-by-pitch in the ninth inning -- while Royals right-hander Brad Keller shut down the White Sox.
Despite a rally in the ninth inning, this first day of this new season didn't go as the White Sox hoped, but it certainly didn't dampen the optimism in the visiting clubhouse.
The third season of this White Sox rebuild is one finally filled with hope for what's to come. After two difficult years on this long, losing road -- and with four straight losing seasons even before the Chris Sale trade in December 2016, which started the rebuild -- this organization now has young talent revealing itself at the big league level.
After Hahn led this rebuild through two years of organizational replenishing and manager Rick Renteria set the tone for how the big league team would play, it's now the White Sox taking ownership of what's next -- winning.
Little did shortstop Tim Anderson know when he was speaking about the White Sox missing out on star infielder Manny Machado in free agency, he would create a mantra for his team: Ride with us or get run over.
"It's all about us," Anderson said Thursday. "We got the guys who we got here. We're not worried about anybody else. It's just one of those things, we're taking what we got and we're ready to roll. It's all about us here."
Added Renteria: "They want to find out where they're at. They want to see themselves out there performing well. They have this sense of anticipation in terms of what they expect the season will be."
And Hahn will be watching closely. While the talk is nice, the results are what matter. Hahn got excited about the idea of Rodon and Lopez establishing themselves atop the rotation and having young players like Anderson, Jimenez and Yoan Moncada revealing growth. More than the final win-loss record, that's what this season is all about.
But don't tell that to a player like Anderson, now entrenched as a leader for the White Sox. He's well aware of the doubt cast upon his team -- well before they even took the field for the first time.
Hahn said he can hope for the difficult decision in July of what to do if the White Sox were a contender for the postseason, perhaps forcing his hand to potentially deal prospects for veterans to help them win in 2019.
Winning or not, the anticipation is warranted as the White Sox seek proof to their promise.
"Regardless of what the ultimate win total is, how we get there is going to be more important for the long term than what the actual number is," Hahn said referring to the White Sox's young core.
"As we sit here today, we know we're in a much better spot than we were a little over two-and-a-half years ago when we started this process. We're very optimistic about where we're heading."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
